Electrical receptacle and plug



Oct. 21, 1924. R. B. BENJAMIN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE AND PLUG Filed Oct. 8, 1920 WWW 4,

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 \Q \T: a?

r/ 1 5 5 A 1/ 1 /& k

R. B. BENJAMIN ELECTRICAL RBGSPTACLE AND PLUG 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 061:. 8 19?":

5 SheeisSheet 5 R.B.BENJAMWJ Filed Oct. 8. 1920 ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE AND PLUG & k

Patented Got. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES REUBEN IB. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO BENJA1VIIN ELECTRIC PATENT OFFICE.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE AND PLUG.

Application filed October 8, 1920. Serial No. 415,489.

' dutywatertight receptacle and plug.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide a connector device of the type indicated, which will be eflicient and durable inuse, simple in construction. and cheap to manufacture.

Further objects will appear from the de-' tailed description to follow and from the appended claims.

In the drawings in which two embodiments of my invention are shown- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a watertight re ceptacle with the cover removed;

. Fig. 2 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the plug-in,

, device;

- Fig. 2;

tact and Wirin terminal; "Fig. 8 is a.

contacts, and having pro-vision whereby, a

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of thereceptacle contact members;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a plug con pIan view of a diiferent form of watertight receptacle, part of the cover being broken away;

Fig. :9 is-a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 and Fig. '10 is a fragmentary sectional view of theline 1010 of Fig. 8.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, the construction shown comprises in a general way, a receptacle portion mounted in a cylindrical metal casing, having a waterproof cover, and a plug-in portion having contacts for cooperation withthe receptacle waterproof connection is made betweenthe plug and the cover, when the plug is in-' serted. The plug is further provided with.

. means.. wherebyaa helically-armored cable is a section on the line 2-2 of mounted, and a cap can be connected with it, and a waterproof connection provided between the armored cable and the plug. 2

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the receptacle shown is a three pole' recep tacle comprising an insulating base 10, and three contact devices 11, electrically connected with the three feed wires by means of wiring terminals 12 respectively@ The 1 receptacle is located in a cylindrical ho'us-" ing 13 which is provided with a cover 14. In order to make a watertight connection be tween the cover 14 and casing 13, a washer 15. is interposed between the two, the cover being secured. to the casing by -meansof screws 16.

. The plug-in portion comprises an insulating base 17, three contact devices 18 for cooperation with the receptacle contact 11 respectively, and a connecting member19gfor' connecting the armored cable to the plug.

In order to secure the plug in positioniin the receptacle, an internally threaded retaining ring 20 is provided, which has an inwardly-extending annular flange 21, which bears on an annular shoulder 22 on the conneoting member 19. i

In order to make a watertight.connection between the plug-in member and the cover portion14,a washer 23 is provided, underneath the shoulder 22.

The connecting device 19 comprises a he1ical sheet metal member 24, which can be threadedonto the helical armor of the cab-1e,

. an annular bushing or packing member 25,

for closelysurrounding the end of the. cable a from which the armor has been removed, a

bushing or sleeve 26 in which the packing member 25 and helical member 24' are member 27 having an inwardly-extending flange 28 which bears on the upper edge of the helical member 24, tohold the helical member in place, and to force the tapered packing member 25 downwardly into sealing engagement withthe end of the cable. I r

I In order to conm ct thesleeve 19 with the insulating base 17 of the plug-indevice, an annular sheet metalconnecting member 29 is provided,which isflanged over as in dicated at to engage a shoulder on the insulating base 17 and is also flanged over as indicated at 31 to engage a shoulderon the sleeve 19.

The contact devices '18 of the plug-inde l connected to the contact members 18 by means of screws 37 which extend through openings in the. Contact members 18 and are threaded into the terminal clips 38 with wvhich the ends of the conductors 36 are provided.

Each of the receptacle contact devices 11 comprise two contact members 39 and 40 respectively, between which the contact mem- .be1' 18 of the plug eXtendswhe-n the plug is inserted, These contact members 39 and 40 are secured'in position on the rec ptacle base 10* by means of screws 41 which extend through the base portions 42 and 43 of the'contacts respectively, and are threaded into nuts 44. The terminal clips 45 of the feed wires are secured in electrical connection with the receptacle contact devices 11 by. means of the Wiring terminals 12.

In order to insure that a certain one of the plug contact devices 18 will always engage a certain one of the receptacle contact devices 11,, the plug-in device is recessed as indicated at 46 for cooperation with aninwardly-extending boss or lug 47 on the neck of the cover '14. 4 and 5,) V p i In wiring the plug-in device, the cap, 29, the helical member 24, and the packing member 25 are slipped onto the cable, and

' the three clips38'of the cable arethreaded into the three recesses at the side of the plug and are connected to the three plug contact'members 18 by means of the'three screws 37. The packing 1ne1nber25 is then pressed down into place by means of the helical member 24, and the cap n1ember27 is: threaded down onto the connecting mem ber' 19 to force the conical packing mem- 'l ier 25 tightly into engagement with the,

cable. The helicalmember 24 serves as. a securing means andstrain relief by engaging the helical armor of the cable;

"The circuit may be any circuit for which a three pole connector is adapted;

In order to insure the; proper relative positioning of the contact members 39. and

40 of the receptacle .contaot device, the contact member 49 is provided with apair of upturned lugs 48,, which engage, in correspending notches 49 in the base portion of the contact member 39.v In order to insure the roper entrance of the contact member of t e'plu -in device, with he contact abut merit of te receptacle, the contact member 40 is provided with an inclined lip 49, While the contact member '39 is'provided with an held ininclined portion 50, the inclined portions (49 and 50 cooperating to guide the contact- 10 is quite similar to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, except that the three pole receptacle 51 is mounted on the cover 14, and removable therewith, and forms therewith a sort of housing for the receptacle cont-act. Also in this form, the plug does. not have special provision for connecting it with an armored cable. 'The cover 14, the insulating base 17, the three contact devices 18, the retaining ring 20, the washer 23, the annular bushing or packing member 25, the bushing sleeve 26, the cap 27, and the sheet metal connecting member 29 maybe substantially the same as in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive. In this form, however, the cap member 27 bears directly on the' packing member 25, instead of hearing on the helical connecting member as in Fig. 2. I

As to the receptacle part, the contact devices 11 including the contactmeinbers' 39 and 40 may be the same as in the form previously described. These contact devices 11 are held in place by means of screws 52 which extend through the base portions of the contact members 39 and40 and are threaded into metal members connected with the wiring terminals 53, the screws 52 thus holding the contact devices 11 in place on the insulating receptacle base 54, and electrically connecting them with'the wiring terminals. This construction enables the receptacle to be wired Without disconnecting the insulating base 54 from'the cover 14 and without exposing the contact devices 11'. This lessens the danger of injury to thedelicate spring contacts 39 and 40.

As previously intimated the insulating receptacle base54 is mounted on the-cover 14, this beingeffected: by means ofscrews 55 which extend through "openings in the insulating base: 54, and I the packing gasket or washer 56", and are threaded into the cover 14 (Fig. 10). The receptacle" is thus mounted on the cover 14,- which cover also carries the :plug 17, when the plug is inserted into the receptacle sothaii as both plug and receptacle are supported by the same cover member, they will always en ge properly and the engaging contactswifi be the desired relative position; It will be noted that the insulating base 54 in conjunction with. the cover 14 form a sort of housing member for the receptacle contacts, whereby the receptacle contacts'are protected against accidental displacement or injurywhen the: cover 14 is removed forwir ing, or for any other reason, f

While I have shown herein only two embodiments at my hivention, it is. to be: under-'- stood that many changes and variations cured thereto.

A plug-in device comprising an insulating base provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, a contact member comprising a plate extending between said ribs and having its side edges secured thereto, and Wiring terminals secured to said plate.

3. A plug-in device comprising an insulating base provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, a contact member comprising a plate extending be tween said ribs and having its side edges secured thereto, and wiring terminals comprising a conductor clip and a screw extending through said plate and threaded into said clip.

4. A plug-in device provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, said ribs being enlarged at their outer extremities, and a contact plate extending between and embedded in the enlarged portions.

A plug-in device comprising an insulating base having longitudinally extending lateral recesses therein, contact plates extending between and embedded in the walls of said recesses, and means for securing feed wires within said recesses, on the inside of said contact plates.

6. A plug-in device comprising an insulating base having a longitudinally extending groove in its side, a contact plate bridging across from one wall to the other of said groove, and having its middle portion spaced from the bottom of said groove, whereby a co-operating contact member may be received between the bottom of said groove and said plate, said insulating base having an opening in its end leading to the space between the bottom of the groove and said plate, whereby a conductor may be inserted through said passage and connected to the inner side of said plate.

7. A plug-in device comprising an insulating base having a longitudinally extending groove in its side, a contact plate bridggroove, and having its middle portion spaced from the bottom of said groove, whereby a cooperating contact member may be received betweenthe bottom of said groove and said plate, said insulating base having an opening in its end leading to the space between the bottom of the groove and said plate, whereby a conductor may be inserted through said passage and connected to the inner side of said plate, and means for con necting said conductor to said plate comprising a clip to be secured to said conductor and a screw extending through said plate and threaded into said clip.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

mg across from one wall to the other of said 7 

